ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The former Hamm’s brewery complex in east St. Paul has been transformed into an urban farm, the home to thousands of tilapia and racks of leafy green vegetables.

A St. Paul Pioneer Press report says the six-story building is now occupied by Urban Organics, an aquaponics farm. Aquaponics is a method of raising fish and vegetables in a system where the fish waste helps nourish the vegetables, and the plants purify water that gets recycled back into the fish tanks.

The vegetables are sold in a handful of stores. The tilapia should soon be available at local restaurants.

A brewery and distillery are both slated to begin operating in the building within the next few months.

The building had fallen into disrepair after it was abandoned in 1997, but $1 million in renovations helped restore it.

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Information in the following story is from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com